22 lessons on the 22nd birthday

#1 Good things come back

Being nice is much harder than being mean. But the nicer you are, the nicer others are to you. Good things always come back.

#2 Never stop hustling

Hard work, passion (see #10), and dedication really do pay off.

#3 Trust your gut

You might not always be certain whether your decisions are good, but you’ll never know if you don’t take risks. Follow your intuition.

#4 Don’t be afraid to do things on your own

Go to the coffee shop or eat lunch on your own. Or buy a ticket, get on a plane and start studying PR in a big city.

#5 Don’t be ashamed with being an introvert

Introvertism is not a flaw. There’s nothing wrong with staying in and reading a book, rather than going out when you really don’t feel like it.

#6 Choose a job you love

Life’s too short to do a job you hate. Think carefully and do everything you can to get a job that you’ll enjoy doing.

#7 Dedicate yourself to your choices

Even if you’ve doubts, go with your decisions and see what happens. If it won’t get where you want to be, change the direction and learn the lesson.

#8 Treat failures like godsends

Analyse them, learn from them, and think of them as valuable experiences.

#9 Don’t care about other people’s opinion

Do your own thing, despite others’ skepticism. But make sure to differentiate skepticism from genuine advice.

#10 Don’t hold any grudges

Holding grudges won’t get you anywhere. Forgive quickly.

#11Do everything with passion

Even if that’s a dishwashing job, it’ll get you to your final destination quicker when you do it well.

#12 Be grateful

Stop, look around, and appreciate what you have.

#13 Read

Reading opens mind and gives you opportunity to learn new things. Do it as much as you can.

#14 Don’t seek praises

As nice as they are, praises won’t get you far.

#15 Seek criticism and feedback

Criticism and feedback will let you improve. Listen to them carefully and be grateful to anyone who supplies these.

#16 Look back

But only to realise how far you’ve came and what your journey was like. Learn from it.

#17 People will come and go

Appreciate these around you, but know that friends will come and go.

#18 Have mentors

Find people you admire. Learn from them. Ask questions.

#19 Create things you’d consume

Write a blog that you’d read yourself, record podcasts you’d enjoy listening, take pictures that you’d like seeing.

#20 Have an opinion

You’ll not always be right. But it’s ok. Have your opinion, but remember to listen to others, too.

#21 Be patient

You won’t always get things straightaway. Take your time to understand them and enjoy the learning curve.

#22 Don’t be too hard on yourself

Don’t set your goals too high and don’t put yourself down for every misstep. You’ll make mistakes, but they’ll give you a lesson.

***

If you have any suggestions, would like to guest post or give me a feedback, feel free to email me at kl.marcel [at] gmail.com, tweet me @marcelkl or connect with me on LinkedIn. Thanks for stopping by, have a splendid day!

Author: Marcel Klebba

Junior account executive at a global PR agency, working across the corporate & B2B accounts. Interested in current affairs, tech, and digital.